


Imperfect and Overprotective and a Mess

by certified_star



Category: DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-15
Updated: 2019-12-15
Packaged: 2021-02-26 16:41:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21811477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/certified_star/pseuds/certified_star
Summary: Donald Duck isn’t ready to be a parent- unfortunately, he doesn’t really have a say in the matter.My Ducktales Secret Santa gift for @fuckinganxiousallthetime on tumblr. I really hope you like it, and happy holidays!
Relationships: Dewey Duck & Donald Duck & Huey Duck & Louie Duck
Comments: 10
Kudos: 141





	Imperfect and Overprotective and a Mess

He’s 21 and basically pushing Goofy out the door at this point. 

“And don’t forget to sing him to sleep, I know that’ll be no problem with your beautiful voice, and if there’s any problem you can always call me, and if you have any questions you-“ 

“Yeah, yeah, I know Goof”, Donald says not for the first time. “Don’t worry okay? Me and little Max will be fine” 

Goofy turns around to face him, jacket still in his hands. “I know that, but it’s just... This’ll be my first night away from him. I don’t know how he’s gonna handle it” 

He’s not the one I’m worrying about, Donald thinks. When it comes to his son, Goofy is more careful than with anything else in his life. The preparations he made and worries he had just about one night of babysitting seemed a little disproportionate. How hard could it be to take care of a little tyke for a few hours? 

He sighs before trying again. “Listen Goof, I get that it might be hard to leave him right now, but he’s in capable hands, you see! I promise, nothing will happen to your son as long as uncle Donald is around!“ Donald gives him his brightest smile and to his relief, Goofy seems to relax. 

He puts on his jacket as he speaks. “Thank you so much Don. You know, you’re the only person I would trust to watch Max. You’re a good friend” 

“Yeah yeah, I’m the best. Now go! Have fun on your date!” Donald waves his friend goodbye as he steps into his car and drives off, then closes the door. 

Alone in his friend’s home. Well, not alone. 

He walks silently to the nursery on the first floor, where Goofy’s puppy is sleeping soundly in his crib- for now, at least. Goofy’d warned him Max could get rowdy when awake. 

He looks at the youngling, and can’t believe this was his friend’s son. It still seems crazy to him, Goofy being a father. They‘re around the same age, and while Donald knows he’s always been good with children, and while he has to admit that Max was a pretty cute kid, he can’t imagine being responsible for a whole other life in such a big way. 

No, not for me, he thinks. I’m not even thinking about having kids for at least the next few years. Goofy might be ready for that, but I’m not. 

******** 

He’s 25 and he’s lost everything. 

His sister has disappeared. He never even got to say goodbye. And it was all his uncle’s fault. He went behind his back and he... and he... 

Tears are pricking at his eyes again. He’d finally stopped crying after 3 days, and now he mostly just feels numb. The only thing he can bring himself to do is sit and stare at the eggs- the eggs Della left behind. 

He can’t even begin to think about what he’s supposed to do. The only thing he knows for sure is that whatever happens, he’ll screw it up. It’ll end in disaster, like everything else he does. Della’s kids deserved better than him, they deserved to grow up in a normal house without Donald’s spectacular bad luck. They deserved... they deserved Della. 

But they’re alone now. It’s just him and these eggs, and the only thing he can do now is accept it. 

So he sits and stares at the eggs, thoughts flying restlessly through his head. He doesn’t pay attention to any of them, saying to himself that he’ll think about them later, and somehow this works to keep him calm. 

Then one of the eggs starts to crack. 

******** 

The first two eggs break almost at the same time, and the chicks that they contain are so impossibly small he can’t believe it. He carefully takes them out and bundles them up in red and blue blankets, treating them like precious jewels. 

But the third one takes a while. Actually, more than a while. While the other two chicks chirp and flail, the third egg stays decidely still. 

Cue the worst, most stressful 48 minutes of Donald’s life. 

He’s never been this worried. What if something’s wrong with the chick? What if it can’t get out? What if it’s suffocating? Is that how that works? He doesn’t know. Oh god, now he’s suffocating. What if it’s dead? No, no, no, he can’t think like that. 

Panic is beginning to set in, but he’s still holding the other two chicks in his arms. Should he go to the hospital? Is a wait this long cause for concern? WHY DIDN’T HE THINK TO LOOK THIS UP BEFORE? Yup, he’s panicking. He’s gotta give it to himself, this is a new record. He didn’t think he’d screw it up this fast! 

He stares helplessly at the egg, begging the universe to give him a break, just this once. Let the chick be okay. 

He’s just about to go find his keys to go to the hospital anyway when finally, finally the egg cracks, and out emerges a small chick, its eyes barely open. 

He bundles it up in green blankets, then holds all three of them in his arms, just looking at them in wonder. An hour ago he was alone, and now they’re just here. They’re tiny, and so so fragile, and he immediately loves them more than anything. He’s crying again, but not out of sadness this time, but just- overwhelming relief and happiness and love. 

He promises them, in this moment- everything he could ever possibly give them. He doesn’t own a lot, but he’ll do anything for them- protect them the way he should’ve protected his sister, provide for them, care for them, and always be there for them. He silently promises them this and more, an unconditional love, and hugs them closer. 

******** 

Donald’s always lived mostly for other people. For the next 10 years of his life, he lives for the boys exclusively. 

He considers giving them the names Della picked out for them, as a tribute to her- but truthfully, as much as he loved Della those names were awful. So he names them Hubert, Dewford and Llewelyn- which over the years get shortened to Huey, Dewey and Louie. He hadn’t planned it to rhyme but hey, if that’s the way things work out. 

Huey is the oldest, and is the first to read. Dewey is the first to walk (and is, generally, the one who gives Donald the most anxiety). Louie is the first to talk- surprisingly, since he’s slower with everything else than the other two. But Huey is the first to call him “unca”, and Donald couldn’t stop the tears even if he wanted to. 

He always makes sure to refer to himself as “uncle Donald”. He doesn’t want to replace Della as their parent. He isn’t really their dad, after all. 

He has a radio, on which he listens to and sings along with traditional sea shanties he’s fond of, unaware that this love would later be passed on to his eldest kid. The other reason for the radio is so the kids get to hear what a- well, what a normal voice sounds like. Truth be told, he’s terrified the three will grow up with his speech impediment. He even manages to buy a tv just so they get to hear more regular speaking voices. 

Of course, they grow up talking perfectly normal, and the older they get the more their different personalities start to really show.  
Huey is the protective one, and inherited a bit of the infamous McDuck temper. Dewey is the most reckless, but also the most creative of the three. Louie is- very laidback for a toddler, but also the easiest to frighten. 

For example, when they’re 4 and the triplets go to school for the first time ever, he clings onto Donald’s leg and refuses to let go. And because Donald is weak, and because he didn’t actually want to leave the kids anyway, he stays with them at school their entire first day. And also the first week. But then he gets a warning from the principal and reluctantly lets them go- just the tiniest bit. 

Huey has the highest marks, Louie gets by, and while Dewey isn’t very interested in intellectual pursuits, he does find his passion elsewhere- in theatre. Donald finds joy in driving him to every rehearsal and going to every performance and always clapping the loudest of anyone there. 

When the boys turn 6 he’s overjoyed to introduce the boys to the Junior Woodchucks- granted, only Huey stays, but still, that’s one out of three to share a passion with. In fact, Huey is in general the most affectionate to him- perhaps because he understands what it’s like to look after Dewey and Louie. 

Louie remains hard to pinpoint. The boys are 7 when one day, he comes up to Donald and informs him of a (very obviously fake) charity he’s started. And suddenly Donald understands- Louie is the conman of the trio. He knows he should probably be more bothered by that, but he’s actually kind of impressed. He donates, and continues to do so for years, because he’ll always support the kids in anyway he has to. 

They all remind him of her in the most wonderful, most terrible ways. Come to think of it, they remind him of Scrooge in the most wonderful, most terrible ways too. He never tells them any of this- in fact he never tells them anything about Scrooge or their mom, no matter how much he knows they wonder about her. And he understands that, but he also just... can’t bring himself. 

Weirdly, though, or perhaps not weirdly considering Donald’s luck, the triplets still seem to sort of... gravitate towards Scrooge. He suspects they see him as some sort of role model, all admiring him for different reasons. It’s weird seeing them be interested in him, not knowing they’re related. 

Selfishly, he wishes the triplets would look up to him just a bit more. He knows he’s not cool in their eyes. He knows he’s imperfect and overprotective and a mess, and they don’t have a lot of money and things always go wrong around him but he’s trying, every day of his life he tries so hard for them. 

(And there are times when, it seems, they notice. Like on father’s day, when they get him a present without fail even though he tells them it’s not necessary. And when they peptalk him before every job interview. 

There are things he doesn’t realize. Like how he’s left an impression on the triplets too, how someone could recognize a bit of him in all three of them. And how, though he himself does not, the boys have always thought of him as their parent.) 

******** 

The boys are 10 and everything changes. 

But they seem happier now, and the boys’ happiness is all he ever strives for. But it isn’t just because of the adventures and the mansion and the reunion of their family- it’s also the new addition to it. 

He knows the boys never really had any friends aside from each other. Neither did he and Della, really, when they were that age. They didn’t get bullied, their peers merely thought them to be kinda weird. And it seemed, just like their mother and uncle, the triplets were fine with being on their own- just the three of them, a perfect team. 

Still. 

Webby is different entirely- Donald is reminded of a Della-Beakley fusion. She fits right in with his kids, as if she’d always been there. The fourth triplet, the sister they never could’ve expected. 

Seeing how happy the boys are to have Webby in their lives, and how happy Webby is in turn to know Huey, Dewey and Louie, positively warms Donald’s heart. He loves these kids, more than anything. 

And although he’s terrified during every insane adventure and everything that happens, he changes too. He’s always known his kids were amazing, but now he starts to notice just how capable they really are. He lets go just a little bit more, and trusts them completely when Magica returns. And he’s still terrified for them, he always will be- but he’s also never been prouder of his kids in his life. 

******** 

He’s 35 and sitting in a plane, catching up with his friends. 

“So, that’s pretty much what I’ve been up to the past few years”, José finishes. “I have to say, I really did miss being The Three Caballero’s with you. This was fun! We should do it another time!” 

“Ah yes mis amigos!” Panchito throws an arm around José and leans on him entirely while speaking. It makes Donald smile; he really had missed them. “Do not think you two will get away from me again!” 

Shoving Panchito off of him and earning a scoff for his efforts, José turns to Donald. “So, Donald, what have you been up to these days?”, he asks, sincere curiosity in his eyes. 

“Yeah, how have you been getting on without us? Still adventuring the world?” Panchito raises his eyebrows and now the two of them are looking at him expectingly again, probably waiting for him to tell them about the glorious things he’s done. 

Donald’s smile falls. “No, uh, I’m.” He clears his throat. What could he tell them? That he’s a loser who lives on a boat and isolated himself from most of his friends and family for 10 years? 

Then his eye falls on the kids, who are standing with Scrooge and Launchpad at the controles. LP is showing Huey and Dewey which button did what, with Huey occasionally correcting him and Dewey jumping up and down with excitement. Meanwhile Louie’s showing Webby and Scrooge the pictures they’d made in the town, and apparantly he’d said something funny because Webby‘s giggling. 

Something Huey said earlier came back to him, about how he’d raised three children all on his own. How that was an amazing accomplishment in itself. 

He doesn’t even notice the smile climbing onto his face at first, but Panchito and José do. 

He returned his attention to his friends. “I raised the greatest kids in the world”, Donald said, beaming with pride. “And I couldn’t be luckier to have them.” 

Panchito and José smile back at him, happy to see their friend so happy. Donald realizes, in that moment, what he had failed to for so long. Nothing in his life might be perfect, he might not be rich or accomplished. But he is succesful, in the best way. 

He’s a good parent, with the best kids. 

Wait a minute, why is Launchpad letting Dewey take his place in the pilot’s seat OH GOD- 

“DEWEY! GET AWAY FROM THE CONTROLS YOU’LL CRASH THE PLANE!”


End file.
